From The Ashes
by brianna2393
Summary: What happens after the House season finale? What becomes of House without Wilson? Where does Cuddy disappear to after she vanishes on the show?
1. Chapter 1

The past week had been the hardest of Gregory House's life. He knew it was going to be difficult from the time he heard about Wilson's diagnosis, but nothing could have prepared him for the true level of emptiness he felt now. Their cross-country motorcycle trip had been some of the best times in House's life. Even though Wilson liked to use that "this is my dying wish" excuse a little too much. For the most part House was willing to go along with it, but there were two areas that he had issues with. The first was that Wilson banned Vicodin, both for the trip and afterward. House went along with it during the trip. He hit one of his lowest points before that, and his suicide debate in the burning building made him want to reassess a lot of things. He still was not up for talking about everything outright, but he was more apt to want to stay clean than he normally would. He was particularly agreeable to the rule as well because Wilson and him agreed to hit up a lot of bars as a part of the journey. He was more willing to feel things with Wilson than anyone else, but he still needed some sort of numbing agent. As the journey increased, Wilson's pain did as well, so the two participated in a lot of late night drinking sessions. At any rate, House was agreeable to Wilson's Vicodin mandates during the trip for the most part, but now things were proving a lot more difficult, especially considering Wilson's other dying wish.

It had been a week since Wilson's death and House had stayed pretty out of it for that time. He found a new hotel, somewhere he had not gone with Wilson, bought enough alcohol to serve an army, and locked himself in a room. He hired himself some female company, drank, and mostly forgot about the rest of the world. But now his alcohol was gone and he was starting to emerge from the numbness that had been his constant companion over the last week. He thought about Wilson a great deal and his future without him. As much shit as he gave Wilson, the man was the only person House could truly count on. He was the only one who truly understood House and could put up with his mistakes over and over. And God knew he'd made a lot of mistakes. He was desperately trying not to make another one now. He had already messed up the first week by himself, and he wasn't happy with himself for it. Wilson predicted this reaction from him, and had given him a direct order to carry out the second part of the plan immediately. But House just couldn't do it. This part of Wilson's demands made no sense. Why would he torture himself more than he had to and send himself into a potential relapse? Although, he was pretty close to one even without Wilson's task. He had nothing. His job was no longer there for him. He had potential criminal jail time, and nobody who cared whether he lived or died. He wanted to do better though. He vowed to himself in that burning building that he would change. He wanted to more than anything else, but he had tried every single solution out there before. Wilson's plan was just going to dig up the past and put him in the exact same position he was in a year and a half ago. He felt so incredibly lost.

Lisa Cuddy was not looking forward to going home to be a disciplinarian after work. She didn't understand what had gotten into her daughter lately. Rachel had been so good until their move a year and a half ago. Ever since then things had been rocky at best. The principle called around noon and explained that Rachel had hit another child. She insisted that Cuddy drive to the school to pick Rachel up right away. It was only after twenty minutes of begging, pleading, and finally breaking down in tears that the principle agreed to let Rachel stay for the rest of the day. Cuddy was on thin ice at her job. She had taken off a lot of time to deal with Rachel lately, and to be honest she hadn't been extremely focused before that. She missed her old life and getting adjusted to all the changes was proving more difficult than she anticipated. She had taken the downgrade from hospital administrator to doctor in charge of the diagnostics department willingly, but it felt like even that was too much.

She didn't know what else to say to her daughter that would make a difference. She felt like she had tried everything, but when she really thought about it both of them weren't happy. She thought that probably had a lot to do with Rachel's problems. And she knew she was not being the best mother possible when she felt depressed all of the time. Hearing about Wilson's death a week ago was the icing on the cake. He sent her a letter the day before detailing his final months and eventually saying goodbye. She was furious that House got to spend those final moments with Wilson and she was all the way across the country. Her rage toward House had no bounds and this just added to an already explosive pile. Her and Wilson had communicated some over his trip and his final year working at the hospital. But she felt like House and her had gotten a divorce, and Wilson chose the wrong party. Cuddy had always treated Wilson with the upmost respect, and loved him like only a long-time friend could. But still he chose the crazy man that wrecked into her house with no thought about anyone other than himself.

When Cuddy picked her daughter up from school Rachel knew she was in trouble. She walked to the car with her head down, her hair cascading over her face. Cuddy was at a loss. She was sad for Rachel, mad at her, and just wanted to have an adult conversation with her. But for all of Rachel's intelligence, she was still only a little girl and Cuddy had to remember that. When they got to the house finally, Cuddy sat her daughter down for a talk. She explained how wrong it was to hit others, but it was a conversation they had both participated in previously. For about the hundredth time that year the conversation ended in Rachel running to her room crying saying she wanted House back.

This was something Cuddy did not understand. House tried with Rachel, she would give him that. But it had been a year and a half. How could she still remember and want House when Cuddy was the one who had been with her and cared for her every single day? Nobody in this part of the country even knew House. The idea in moving was to hide from her former life. She knew it was cowardly but it was what she needed after a car came hurdling through her dining room. Rachel just kept bringing him back though. And Wilson had brought him back in his letters. She couldn't believe he had faked his death only to go on a road trip with Wilson. That was exactly the sort of immaturity she loathed in him. But somehow, he just kept popping back up. After she fed a sobbing Rachel dinner and put her to bed she couldn't get him out of her head. She tried to sip a glass of wine to dull the sharp emotions, but even that reminded her of him. What else could she do to move on? It seemed like she was trapped.

Author's note: I do not own House or any of the characters used in this fanfic. Please comment and follow.


	2. Chapter 2

As much as House loved to procrastinate he figured he might as well get Wilson's second task done as soon as possible. For whatever reason Wilson wanted House to reconnect with Cuddy. House had already determined this wouldn't go well, but he literally had nothing left to do. He was never going to be worth Cuddy, and Cuddy was never going to forgive him for his fit of rage. Wilson had called many times while they were together on their road trip. Cuddy was agreeable and happy sounding until House's name came up. When it did she promptly changed the subject. Wilson let House listen in the background, and just her voice was enough to send him into binge drinking. However, he did not let himself until after the call. Every time after Wilson talked to Cuddy, Cuddy took the phone to her daughter. Wilson talked to Rachel first, and then House got his turn. Rachel and him had an agreement not to tell her mommy, no matter what. He had grown fond of Rachel, much fonder than he ever thought was possible. She was smart and wise far beyond her years. They only talked for a minute, but that minute every so often was enough to help House keep his Vicodin abstinence.

Currently, House was sitting in the airport waiting for his flight. Wilson had given him Cuddy's city and state and the rest was up to House. According to Wilson Cuddy had moved to get far away from her past. House thought a visit from him was just going to bring all of that up once more. But as Wilson reminded him over and over, this was his dying wish. When his plane was finally called, he felt more excitement than he was anticipating though. The walk down the hallway to the aircraft almost felt like a weight lifting from his shoulders. Luckily there was nobody obnoxious sitting next to him, and he predicted the flight would be a restful one. Although idle time hadn't treated him well lately. He hadn't drunk since his binge in the hotel, and he hadn't used drugs in a very long time. He was clean, but he was not sure things would remain that way once he saw her. He thought about her and Wilson constantly. It wasn't like at the hospital where he constantly had something to distract him. All he had was travel, and his mind wandered far too much during the boring travel processes. He missed medicine, but he wasn't sure he could ever practice again. The drug temptations would be far too much.

Cuddy was appreciating a rare Saturday away from the hospital. She had several tough cases the week before, one resulting in a pediatric death. The little girl was around Rachel's age and the case took its toll. Now all Cuddy wanted was to spend time with her daughter and forget about work for a little while. She decided that they should go to one of her favorite places. They desperately needed some real bonding time. Cuddy woke Rachel up excitedly with pancakes and bacon. Apart from Rachel reminding Cuddy that House loved bacon, the morning went off well. Both mother and daughter put on their swimsuits, cover ups, and packed bags for the beach.

When the pair arrived on Folly Beach, the sun shone down majestically from the sky. There were many people outside enjoying the beautiful September weather, but Cuddy quickly found a spot to lay their towels down and set up all of their stuff. Rachel loved the waves, and Cuddy had to watch her closely every time she ran toward the water. The rule was that Rachel could not go above her knees in the foamy water unless Cuddy was by her side. Cuddy decided to relax for a minute before joining Rachel. She watched Rachel sit in the shallow water, digging her hands into the sand. Her daughter came quickly back to their towels though, begging for her mother's attention. Soon they were both deep in the waves, Cuddy holding her daughter close even though she was wearing floatys on her upper arms. Rachel practiced holding her breath in the salty water, and Cuddy smiled watching her daughter learn the limits of her body. After some wave body surfing, the two returned to the sand for their picnic lunch of sandwiches, oranges, and string cheese.

After lunch, Rachel was instantly energized once more. Cuddy was more tempted to take an early afternoon nap, but Rachel never stopped. Cuddy convinced her daughter to build a sand castle while she rested for a while. Rachel talked as she constructed, after firmly correcting her mom. "Only babies build sand castles, I am building a sand hospital," she declared emphatically. As she built and talked, cuddy got more and more drowsy from the sun beating overhead. She was at the beach with her daughter and felt happy for the first time in a while.

Rachel was bored of building. She had finished her sand hospital, and even played doctor for a little while inside her structure. She wanted to be just like her mommy and House when she grew up. They were so brave every day. When she saw the blood on her knee after falling at recess last week, she tried to smile like her mommy did. She still ended up crying a little though. But she had lots of time to practice before she could become a real doctor. She really wanted to show her mommy her creation, but she was asleep. She snored so loudly. Rachel tried to tell her that but her mom just laughed and said that she never snored. She walked to pet a couple of different puppies on the beach. A big black one licked her face and got sand all over her. Rachel loved puppies. She kept begging her mom for one, but her mom said they weren't home enough to get one. Rachel missed when her mommy was more happy. Back when she worked with Wilson and House she would have let Rachel have a puppy. Rachel loved her secret conversations with House. She called House dad, but just in her head. One time she accidentally did that out loud and it made her mommy cry. She wished she had a daddy like all of her friends, but at least she had a secret dad. None of them had that. Actually, friends were too generous of a term. Rachel did not get along with the other kids at school. She liked when they practiced writing and reading, but at recess and center time Rachel mostly played by herself. She was used to playing alone, but today she just wished her mommy would wake up and play with her. As she became more and more bored, Rachel crept closer and closer to the ocean. She knew the rule. She knew she could only go to her knees, but she just wanted to go a little deeper. Her mom would never know, and Rachel kept a close eye on her as she got deeper and deeper. Rachel stood on her tiptoes and let the water flow almost to her face. She loved the ocean so much. It was the only good thing about moving here. She liked letting her feet get buried in the sand. She could even float for a second. She practiced putting her face under, and she tried to float longer and longer. She was getting tired of standing on her tiptoes though. Rachel tried to walk back to her mommy on the sand, but she realized she couldn't see her any more. The waves were getting stronger around her, and she became panicked as she tried to keep her footing and find her mom at the same time. Frustrated tears mixed with the salty water as Rachel struggled. The water was so strong… Rachel was so tired…

When House deplaned, he was hit in the face by a gust of humid air. He wasn't sure why anyone would choose to move to the southeast. It was so damn hot. His clothes stuck to his body, and he was instantly about fifty percent more irritable. He figured since it was the weekend he would not get anywhere in the Cuddy hunt until Monday. He was going to search the local hospitals. The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) looked promising but he couldn't find the staff on the web site. He decided to get a hotel near to the beach and enjoy the one merit of the humidity.

After getting checked into a bland hotel room, he threw his few possessions onto the bed, and drove his rented car to the ocean. Parking was a nightmare, and he felt his frustration mounting even more. This city made him nervous. He was shaky and his leg and head throbbed simultaneously. Even though he knew he wouldn't see Cuddy yet, the encounter filled him with anxious anticipation. He wanted alcohol at the very least, but he knew if he had any shot in the world of talking to Cuddy he needed to be sober. Once he finally parallel parked by someone's gigantic beach house, he walked onto the beach.

He didn't like the sand. It was even harder for him to walk when his legs kept sinking. He liked the beach for the water and waves. He liked how the ocean displayed its power with every ferocious wave. Surprisingly, House was a solid swimmer, and he hobbled as quickly as possible down the sand toward the water. He passed a woman sleeping on the sand, children playing with an extremely sandy black Labrador and lots of sand castles and shells. Even with his irritation of the slow walking process he smiled a little, thinking of Rachel and Cuddy seeing these same waves and sand. He hoped they went to the beach a lot, because Rachel had to see one of the only good things in this humid city.

Finally, he got to the water. He walked in cautiously at first, because it had been years since he was in the ocean. But quickly he began swimming. He liked feeling each wave, and he quickly became infatuated with the ocean. He wasn't thinking about Wilson, drugs, or medicine. Cuddy was not even on his mind for the first time in years. He was just enjoying himself. Until he saw a small figure struggling in the ocean. From a distance, all he could see was that it was a young child that was clearly out too deep. There were no parents in sight. In fact, he was the only one out in the water. He saw the child lose it's footing over and over as the waves pulled it underwater and the current pulled it further and further out. He hesitated only a second before he began swimming toward the figure. Someone needed to help. He really didn't think it should be him, but there was nobody else around and the child was staying under the water for longer and longer periods.

Author's note: Thanks for your reviews. I love hearing from you guys, so keep it up! Feel free to leave suggestions about where the story should go as well.


	3. Chapter 3

It was a difficult journey to the little figure, even with House's strong swimming skills. The water was getting rough and the tide was monstrous. He finally got there though, and wrapped one arm around the child as he swam. He didn't even look at the figure, but instead opted to swim to shore as fast as possible before seeing whether medical attention was needed. House hadn't wanted to be involved, but once he started swimming he felt his instinct take over. He instantly ran through CPR and various medical interventions in his head as he swam. It was harder to swim without the use of one of his arms. His legs were weaker, and his remaining arm carried most of the strength while he pushed on. When he finally got to the sand again, he gently placed the little figure on to the shore. The little girl was choking violently. Tears were streaming down her face as she gasped and coughed.

He was shocked. That was an understatement. Could this really be Rachel Cuddy? She had grown a lot in the past year and a half, but frequent facetime calls with Wilson made her recognizable. However, why would Rachel be out in the ocean on her own? This just didn't make any sense. Cuddy had been fiercely protective of her girl, and he didn't imagine that would have changed. Since Rachel was choking, he knew air was getting to her lungs, so he sat beside her as she threw up salt and sand. He hated to see her choke, but it was a part of life and he had seen much worse. Once Rachel could finally breathe normally again she was filled with excitement. Initially she looked at him with disbelief, but once she realized who he was she jumped onto his lap. This made house slightly uncomfortable, but he figured for Rachel he could tolerate the unexpected contact. After her incident in the water she had been crying, but upon sitting with house she was instantly calmer. She chewed on her hair anxiously and watched him, waiting for him to make the next move.

Rachel wasn't usually shy, but she had no idea what to say right now. This had been the craziest day of her life. First, she almost drowned and then she saw House in person again. He saved her life. Now her mommy would have to love him again, and he could be her real daddy instead of her imaginary one in her head. They had to get one thing straight first though. House could not tell her mommy that she was in the water. But when she told him this he adamantly disagreed. He explained that her mommy would know anyway because Rachel's hair and swimsuit were wet, but Rachel wanted him to find a way to dry her. She thought when House came back he would be on her side about stuff, and she was a little resentful that he wasn't. At least he was here though. Maybe he could protect her from her mommy's angry yelling.

When Cuddy woke up, she was almost positive she was either dreaming or hallucinating. She saw that the sun was much lower in the sky, and then she turned to see two figures walking toward her in the sand. She knew this must be in her head, but the figures looked exactly like her daughter and House. She swiftly looked around determining that Rachel was no longer building her sand hospital. Then after pinching herself, pulling her hair, and repeatedly blinking she determined that she really was seeing House and Rachel getting closer and closer. She didn't know how to react. Her brain hastily thought through all of the reasons House would have her daughter and she came up with almost nothing. She knew she had accidentally fallen asleep, and she felt very guilty for that, but Rachel knew to stay right beside her. She wouldn't have wandered off. The only solution left was that House had taken her.

How dare he? How could he find them randomly on the beach on a Saturday? How could he have planned to take her daughter? And if that was his plan why was he walking back toward her now? What was going on?

Rachel was scared. Her mommy looked very very angry. As they got closer to her Rachel dragged her feet, digging each one into the sand as she walked. She hoped her mommy would be happy to see House. She knew House did a bad thing one time, but Mommy told her it was out of "misguided love." Her mommy taught her to forgive everyone, so she thought nobody should be mad. Maybe her mommy was mad at her instead of House. Maybe she knew Rachel had gone into the water without permission.

House's stomach hurt. He hadn't felt this near to throwing up since one of his last binges with Wilson. He wasn't expecting to see her today. He hadn't planned what to say or how to act. He hadn't decided how to make her realize he was genuinely sorry. He was still a sarcastic asshole, but he wanted to show her he was different now. They could mourn Wilson together and be there for each other. Maybe she could even let him be a part of Rachel's life. However, without preparation he didn't know how to make that happen. When he didn't plan ahead things came out far more bluntly and sarcastically than he intended. For example, she looked furious right now. She resembled a wild animal, ready to pounce on it's prey and have a delicious meal. But that fierceness and passion made her beautiful. He loved her for her fight and energy, and that was exactly what her face showed right now. His first instinct was just to walk up and say that. Explain that she looked like an animal but he found that attractive. He knew he would regret that though. He just didn't know what his first words to her should be instead.


End file.
